


through the darkness (to the break of day)

by LadyMerlin



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam Parrish Loves Ronan Lynch, Domestic Fluff, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Families of Choice, Happy Ending, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Ronan Lynch Loves Adam Parrish, post-trk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21568810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyMerlin/pseuds/LadyMerlin
Summary: Opal’s cheek is mashed against Adam’s chest and she's drooling onto his thin t-shirt, her hair a mess of silvery cobwebs in every-which direction. Her tiny fists are clenched in Adam’s shirt like an anchor to keep her in place. Of course. She’s a part of Ronan, a sliver of his own heart come to life; neither of them ever want to be parted from Adam.
Relationships: Orphan Girl | Opal & Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch & Orphan Girl | Opal, Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 21
Kudos: 287





	through the darkness (to the break of day)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was written in the absolute pits of writer's block. i'm sorry that this disaster is my first offering to this incredible fandom, but i hope you guys like it anyway <3

Since he started at Harvard, Adam’s time in Henrietta has become something of a precious resource. Ronan tries to spend as much of it with Adam as he possibly can, but running a farm sometimes demands his attention in ways that he can’t control. 

Adam never holds it against him, but Ronan holds it against himself, especially at times like this - when he had to run out in the middle of a nice dinner to help birthing lambs. Adam had sent him off with a kiss and a promise to keep his plate warm, and Ronan had run out the back door without a chance to even return the kiss properly.

He regrets it the entire way back, covered in blood and guts and sheep shit. He’d washed the worst of it off under a pump in the barn but he wouldn’t be touching anything indoors until he’d had a long hot shower to scrub the rest of it off. And it wouldn’t be the kind of shower where he could invite Adam, either. The miracle of birth is a lot more gross than most people would imagine and a small part of him wonders how well Gansey would handle it - it’d be funny as all hell, but it’s a lukewarm diversion from his own thoughts at best. 

The house is quiet when he steps through the front door, which is unusual enough that it catches Ronan’s attention. Living with Opal has accustomed him to the sound of cloven feet wreaking havoc on the hardwood and a cacophony of strange bird-like conversation between raven and girl, all set against a backdrop of furniture being destroyed with extreme prejudice. He doesn’t mind. If breaking stuff makes Opal happy, well, he figures he’d been worse when he was her age. However old that is. But that’s not the point. 

The point is that it’s not even that late. There’s no reason why the house should be so quiet. A tendril of fear crawls down his spine, a voice in the back of his head screaming that something bad has happened to Adam or Opal, even though Ronan knows the Barns is the safest he can possibly make it, tripwired and armed to the teeth in its own way. 

He’s grateful that he doesn’t have to walk past the driveway where, if he looks carefully, he can see the place where his father’s blood had seeped into the concrete. 

The kitchen is cleaner than it’s been in months, a clear sign that Adam has been at it. There are no signs of a struggle and the tight knot in Rohan’s chest eases slightly. Adam wouldn’t let anything happen to himself or Opal without putting up an unholy fight. Anyway, in his absence the house itself would defend Adam with every ounce of ambient magic in the walls. 

He wonders if Adam has noticed yet, that as far as he’s concerned, Adam is the other master of the Barns. He wonders what Adam will say when he figures it out, if he’ll understand what it means. 

A soft croak draws him out of his thoughts and into the living room; Chainsaw. He’s not sure what to expect, but what he sees makes his knees go weak and he slumps gracelessly against the doorway to keep himself upright. 

Adam is sound asleep on the sofa, long legs hanging over the side, a pillow stuffed under his head. His chest is rising and and falling gently and he’s snoring softly with his mouth slightly parted. His hair is a mess but his face is relaxed, and he looks so peaceful that it makes Ronan’s chest quake and _god_ , Ronan _adores him_. 

But even more extraordinary than Adam letting his guard down enough to fall asleep when Ronan isn’t around is the fact that Opal is asleep too. 

Ronan can count on two hands the number of times he’s seen Opal sleep and it’s probably because she’s a dream creature and doesn’t actually need to sleep, but Ronan thinks it also has something to do with her own nightmares and her fear that she’ll sink into Ronan’s dreams if they’re ever asleep at the same time. 

She never wants to go back there and Ronan doesn’t want it either, but he hasn’t been able to figure out how to convince her that he won’t let that happen. That even if it does, he’ll bring her back. He’ll figure it out if it’s the last thing he does; if something happens to him, he wants Adam to at least have Opal to look after him. 

For now, they form an incredible sight. Opal’s cheek is mashed against Adam’s chest and she's drooling onto his thin t-shirt, her hair a mess of silvery cobwebs in every-which direction. Her tiny fists are clenched in Adam’s shirt like an anchor to keep her in place. Of course. She’s a part of Ronan, a sliver of his own heart come to life; neither of them ever want to be parted from Adam. 

Opal, who is normally a bundle of shrieking energy and life, looks small and fragile, like a doll, especially with Adam’s broad hands on her back, keeping her steady on top of him. Adam looks like nothing more than an exhausted father stealing a moment of peace while his child is asleep. Ronan's heart is so damn full and swollen that it's a miracle he hasn't died from it; he couldn't love them any more if he tried. He never thought he could have something as perfect as this.

“Take a picture,” Adam whispers with his eyes still closed. “It’ll last longer.” 

Ronan searches for a snarky reply, for a comeback of any sort, but his tongue fails him and his mind goes completely blank except for one single thought. Adam blearily opens his eyes when long moments drip past in silence. “Are you okay?” He asks, and Ronan —

Ronan opens his mouth and words trip off the tip of his tongue without his permission. “Will you marry me?” 

Adam goes from half-asleep to entirely awake in a split second and Ronan knows he’s doing this all wrong, knows he won’t get any second chances in this, is perfectly aware that he still stinks like sheep shit, but there’s no question in his mind that this is what he wants; this is _who_ he wants. 

He steps towards the sofa and sinks to his knees near Adam’s face. In his peripheral vision he can see his own hands shaking but he has faith that Adam won’t let him fall. He’s never let Ronan fall. 

“I love you, Adam. Please marry me. I have a ring upstairs and I’ll get it in a second but I love you and I don’t want to live without you ever again.”

Adam stares at him with wide eyes and _oh god_ , he thinks, _he’s ruined it he’s ruined it it’s too soon what was he_ thinking—

“Yes,” Adam whispers, so softly that for a second Ronan doesn’t think he’s heard him right. “Yes,” he says again, like he recognises the stunned disbelief in Ronan’s face. “Yes Ronan, I will.” 

And Ronan can’t help but kiss him, laughing at the way Adam’s nose wrinkles when he gets a good whiff of eau-de-baby-lamb. They’re smiling so wide that they’re not even kissing properly, just pressing their lips together and breathing each other in and smiling and _smiling_ until —

“Ow,” Ronan comments when he feels teeth sinking into his bicep, not in actual pain but more in acknowledgement of the act. He draws back from Adam’s face to look at Opal, who’s studying him intently in turn, teeth still clamped around his arm. “Gremlin,” he greets her as solemnly as he can when his face is threatening to crack in half from smiling so wide.

She draws back and nods at him with equal gravitas. “Kerah,” she comments. 

Chainsaw screeches behind him, piping in with her opinion, and Opal screeches back. That’s what finally sets Adam off, making him laugh until he’s hiccuping with joy and then Opal is laughing too, even though she probably has no idea what’s so funny, still straddling Adam’s chest like he’s a hobby horse. 

“I want you to be this happy all the time,” Ronan whispers, pressing his lips to Adam’s cheek, to get as close to his joy as he physically can, close enough to taste it, to feel it radiating through his own skin.

“Ronan,” Adam whispers, saying his name in that special way that’s designed to make him listen. “I am, when I’m with you. I love you too. I’m not great at saying it but I do, I really do.” 

“I know you do, Adam,” Ronan says, which is true. He’s never doubted it. Adam shows his love in every gesture, in the way he looks at Ronan like he’s the most important person in the world. Ronan isn’t blind. He lets out a quiet shuddering breath and presses his forehead against Adam’s shoulder. Adam’s hand brushes against the top of his head, scratching gently at his scalp in a way that makes Ronan go boneless. 

“At the risk of ruining the moment, do you want to take a shower? I can’t figure out how to kiss you while pinching my nose,” Adam says after a brief pause. 

Ronan snorts and leans back, because that’s fair, he actually does stink. “You can put Opal to bed? If you sleep now, you can play with the newborns tomorrow.” Opal’s eyes go wide and shining, like Ronan had known they would. Though he’d initially worried about how she’d interact with baby animals, it turned out that Opal was capable of great gentleness when dealing with things smaller and softer than herself. She’d have a great time with the lambs, soft as down and still wobbly on their own cloven feet.

She launches herself off Adam’s stomach with no warning, and Ronan only barely catches her, but she smiles at him like it’s nothing less than she expected. “Sheep,” she announces, before wriggling out of his hold and making a mad dash towards her bedroom. Adam sits up, smiling a little ruefully at the damp patch on the front of his shirt. 

“Never thought I’d be a father,” he comments, and it hits Ronan all over again that this is his life now, that this is his _family_. He’s still on his knees and in the perfect position to pull Adam’s hands to his mouth, to kiss his bony knuckles and his slender wrists, pressing his lips into the softness of his palm. 

Adam pulls his hand back slightly and then cups Ronan’s face, bending down to kiss Ronan sweetly. It’s a benediction more holy than anything he’s ever received in church; he is redeemed because Adam loves him. 

Somewhere in the background, Opal screeches about sheep. The kiss breaks on laughter, which is the best way to end a kiss. “Go put our daughter to bed,” Ronan whispers, pressing the words into Adam’s mouth, “and then you can kiss me properly.” 

“Tease,” Adam whispers before he leaves, but he’s smiling, and sitting there on his knees in the middle of the living room, Ronan thanks god that things turned out this way.

**Author's Note:**

> yes, yes I did name this fic after a lyric from an ABBA song, i am exactly that sort of trash, why?


End file.
